**2.3 Adverse production-load situations (summer-winter)**

As gas is used – at least in middle Europe and Germany - for heating to a high percentage there will be a big difference in consumption figures between winter and summer (see figure 2).

Typical locations of biogas plants and the major cities the corresponding gas transportation

and distribution network are shown in figure 1.

Fig. 1. Biogas plant locations in Germany 2011 (source: DENA)

**2.3 Adverse production-load situations (summer-winter)** 

Typical biogas plants have preferred locations in rural areas, where the renewable material grows and the transportation is short and easy. In opposition to the rural places the areas of higher gas demand or actual consumption are located in or near urban areas. So, in most cases the biogas must be transported in pipelines over a longer distance spreading also over a wider network area before the biogas is consumed totally. Depending on the network structure and the total consumption figures there exist mixing areas of biogas and natural

As gas is used – at least in middle Europe and Germany - for heating to a high percentage there will be a big difference in consumption figures between winter and summer (see

**2.2 The location paradox** 

gas or pure biogas.

figure 2).

Fig. 2. Total load/feed-in (blue), industrial (RLM) and small consumer load (red) vs. time (hours) of a big city

In certain areas the biogas feed-in in the network is in wintertime only a small percentage and the area of influence is therefore small, too; but it is large in summertime. This fact principally leads to problems in pipeline connection, operation, constant gas quality delivery and fair billing (see below, Operational Aspects). In the future – when the number of plants and/or biogas production will increase - we will expect a considerable higher impact on network operation and surveillance tasks.
